Twenty Four Hours till Eternity
by Scarlett May
Summary: Elena, struggling with her magnified feelings for Damon, deals with the aftermath of the accident. SET IMMEDIATELY AFTER 3x22.


**Be sure to review, I worked really hard on this and would love feedback**

Twenty Four Hours until Eternity

Chapter One

She bolted upright, her mind foggy with old memories and new ones trying to seep in. She was on a cold metal slab in a room she didn't recognize with Stefan hovering above her, gazing at her sadly. Her mind racing, trying to comprehend all the new information her senses were trying to get through to her. Everything was so loud, so bright, so new and yet the same. She glanced over at Stefan, who had retreated when she shot up.

"Is Matt alright?" She asked, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Meredith is with him right now. He's pretty shaken up, but she says he should be fine. How are you feeling?" Elena glanced down at her hands and sighed internally, she was relieved Matt was okay, but she was hoping to avoid talking about the change, at least for a little while. She knew that she would have to make the transition or she'd die, but a small part of her wished for just that. She had lost so much, her parents, her aunt, friends, and now her humanity, and Damon. Oh god, Damon. Just thinking his name brought a flash of unfamiliar memories to the surface that slipped away before she could grasp at them. She had avoided making the choice between Stefan and Damon because she didn't want to loose one of them, but she knew the second Stefan had kissed her, she had to give him one more chance. He was her first love, who was there when she needed someone desperately. So why did she feel so uneasy with him in the room? He was familiar, she loved him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she needed to remember.

"I'm okay, a tad emotionally drained, but okay. It's been a crazy night." She said attempting to turn the conversation. "I need to go home. I need to see Jeremy and I need check on Caroline."

"Elena." Stefan Started. "You can't ignore the situation, I know how you must be feeling and I know how scared you must be, but you need blood." Elena scooted off the metal slab and grabbed her damp jacket, "Stefan, I have twenty-four hours to make up my mind, but right now I need to go home. And I need you to please let me have a couple hours alone." As Stefan looked into her eyes he saw that same stubborn expression she wore when there was no reasoning with her. He knew this was her choice and that turning was the last thing she ever wanted, but he he struggled with the thought of her dying and he knew he would never forgive himself if she did.

"Let me give you a ride home then." He said his voice unsteady. Elena nodded and walked out into dawn, it was drizzling outside and a single crow sat upon a telephone wire. She thought back to the night of the bonfire when every thing started.

"That was weird, when I touched you I saw a crow " Bonnie had said. "A crow. There was fog. And a man." She had blamed it on the alcohol, never imagining it could mean anything, but she said something else as well, " I have this feeling, that it's just the beginning." She was right of course, it was just the beginning. But at the end of the day, Elena was a doppleganger and sooner or later, with or without Stefan or Damon, a supernatural force would have entered her life. It was in her blood, in her family. The drive home was quiet and quick, she knew she should say something to ease Stefan's mind but she was overwhelmed and frankly didn't want to talk. Elena was angry at Stefan, furious even, though she hadn't the slightest idea why. He dropped her off at the front of her house, kissed her cheek and drove off to the boarding house.

Damon was outside waiting for Stefan when Stefan got home.

"What happened?'' He growled throwing Stefan up against the car. "Where is she?" Damon was livid. Of course it broke his heart when Elena had called and told him that she was going back for Stefan, that she had chosen Stefan. But he loved her and held onto the hope that someday they would be together. He would not leave her, especially now when she needed him. How could his brother be so foolish? He had said it a hundred times that Stefan would get her killed, and he was right. And in this moment he hated Stefan, hated his saint act and his pretend selflessness. Sure, Damon screwed up a lot but for everything he did there was a reason, not always the best of reasons but always understandable.

"There was an accident, well a deliberate accident. Rebekah stepped in front of the car, Matt swerved and they went off the bridge."

"And you saved Matt, instead of Elena? Are you an idiot?'' Damon yelled.

"She didn't want to be saved. She's at home, I don't think she's going to make the transition." Stefan said quietly. Damon let out a sorrowful sigh, of course she wouldn't, that's the last thing she ever wanted. He couldn't blame her if she chose not to. But he couldn't think like that, life without Elena was unimaginable, pointless even. No, he was at least going to go see her, talk to her.

Elena stood at the front door of her house agitated, she couldn't go inside unless she was invited in.

"Jer, you home?'' Elena called "Jeremy?"

"Elena?" Jeremy came running down the stairs at top speed. "Oh thank god you're alive!" It was clear he'd been crying, his deep brown eyes were rimmed red and his nose was runny. "Alaric came to me when he died, he said you had passed and…" Suddenly he froze. "Elena how are you alive? I mean, you are alive right, you're not a ghost?" Elena looked at him with mournful eyes, she was overwhelmed with the guilt of knowing that he would never have a normal life and it was her fault. He put on a strong front but she knew he craved stability, normalcy, that he wished the supernatural world would just disappear.

"Jer, I need you to invite me in." He looked confused for a moment and then his eyes widened with realization. She was a vampire. His sister was a vampire, the one thing she never wanted, the only choice she had and it was ripped away. Stolen. There was nothing he could do to help her, to save her from this fate. "Come in, Elena." It was barely a whisper but it was an invitation. Elena took a step forward and sighed with relief when the invisible barrier vanished and she was free to enter her home.

Jeremy was suddenly overwhelmed with the rush of questions streaming through his head. "How did this happen Elena, are you turned? And where's…where's Matt?"

"There was an accident, we went over the bridge. I told Stefan to save Matt, to leave me. But Matt's going to be okay. I hadn't realized Meredith had healed me… and no Jer, I haven't transitioned." Jeremy winced, she said it so matter of factly. There was something about the way Elena was looking at him, something unsettling, as if she was preparing to say goodbye.

"You're going to transition though, right?" A flash of sadness shot through her eyes. The slight shrug of her shoulders answered the question.

"I'm gonna go upstairs for a bit, I just need some time to think." Elena pulled Jeremy into a tight hug. "I love you so much Jer." She whispered. And before he could say anything she let him go and went upstairs to her room.

Elena fell to her bed and began to sob, she had been holding it in, she didn't want Jeremy to see her fall apart. She was struggling with the decision to turn, she didn't want to but she felt she had to. She wanted so much of her human life, to get married, have kids, grow old. But that was no longer an option, if she turned she'd be bound to walk to earth forever, physically young, strong, powerful, but soulfully old and worn out. The world that had once been so simple, so easy, it was now complicated and hard. She didn't have nearly enough time to make this decision, only twenty-two hours left of the day. She thought of Caroline and Bonnie's mom, they had both made the transition. She knew she would have the support if she decided to make the change, that wasn't the issue. But at this point Elena felt maybe her friends and Jeremy would be better off without her. Jeremy. He had lost so many people, it wasn't fair. She knew he didn't blame her but she blamed herself plenty for the both of them. She didn't know if he would ever be able to get over it, if she didn't turn. Elena was scared, confused and the one person she had a yearning to talk to, most likely didn't want anything to do with her. Damon. She knew vampires emotions were heightened but this was extreme. She had never felt a longing like this before, though there was something else, something that she wasn't remembering. Every time she closed her eyes it was if an old movie was playing in her mind, a fuzzy old movie, and they were all of Damon. Phrases like "Can't be selfish with you." and "You just really remind me of someone." would flash through her mind and then be gone in a split second. She was frustrated, she felt as if she was missing something big, something important.

She woke up with a jolt, there was talking down stairs. She hoped it wasn't Stefan, she felt a weird vibe around him, as if he knew something he wasn't saying. She looked up at the clock, it was 10:23. Eighteen hours left. She was on the stair case when she halted. She knew the voice and it wasn't Stefan. It was Damon. A sense of relief flushed over her, and for a moment she didn't feel so scared.

**Be sure to review, chapter two coming shortly.**


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